Shows
No shows booked at the moment.
Past Shows
Jan 22, 2015 | The Painted Lady | Toronto, ON | Canada | 8:30pm. with Ben Kunder and band Age restrictions: No Minors. 218 Ossington Ave.. More information | ||
Aug 20, 2014 | The Painted Lady | Toronto, ON | Canada | 8:30pm. sharing the stage with INDOOR VOICES PWYC. Age restrictions: No Minors. 218 Ossington Ave.. | ||
May 15, 2014 | The Piston | Toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. Opening for Holly Mcnarland $15. Age restrictions: No Minors. 937 Bloor St West. | ||
May 10, 2014 | The Clarkson | Barrie, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. Playing with The Key Frames Age restrictions: No Minors. 130 Dunlop Street East Barrie, Ontario. | ||
Apr 04, 2014 | The Horseshoe Tavern | Toronto | Canada | 9:30pm. Opening For the NQ Arbuckle CD Release $10. Age restrictions: No Minors. | ||
Nov 20, 2013 | The Dakota Tavern | toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. opening for The Sunparlour Players Age restrictions: No Minors. 249 Ossington Ave. More information | ||
Oct 16, 2013 - Oct 20, 2013 | INDIE WEEK | Toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. official showcase for Indie Week Toronto – venue and date to be confirmed Age restrictions: No Minors. More information | ||
Sep 12, 2013 | The Dakota Tavern | toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. opening for Ron Hawkins and The Do Good Assassins Age restrictions: No Minors. 249 Ossington Ave. More information | ||
Aug 14, 2013 | The Horseshoe Tavern | Toronto | Canada | 9:00pm. opening up for Jerry Leger and The Situation Age restrictions: No Minors. More information | ||
Jul 27, 2013 | The Cluny | Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumbria | United Kingdom | 9:00pm. £6. Age restrictions: No Minors. More information | ||
Jul 27, 2013 | Dublin Castle | London | United Kingdom | 9:00pm. With Straw Bear £6. Age restrictions: No Minors. More information | ||
Jul 26, 2013 | Zanzibar | Liverpool | United Kingdom | 9:00pm. Age restrictions: No Minors. 43 Seel St, Liverpool, Merseyside L1 4AZ. More information | ||
Jul 25, 2013 | Night & Day | Manchester | United Kingdom | 9:00pm. Age restrictions: No Minors. 26 Oldham Street Northern Quarter Manchester M1 1JN. More information | ||
May 28, 2013 | The Drake Underground | Toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. Opening for Folly and The Hunter! 10. Age restrictions: No Minors. 1150 Queen St. West. More information | ||
Mar 28, 2013 | Pickles | Sackville, NB | Canada | 9:00pm. w The Burning Hills. 6 Bridge St.. | ||
Mar 27, 2013 | Plan B | Moncton, NB | Canada | 9:00pm. w The Burning Hills. 212 St George St.. | ||
Mar 25, 2013 | The Carleton | Halifax, NS | Canada | 9:00pm. Age restrictions: No Minors. 1685 Argyle St. | ||
Mar 22, 2013 | Raw Sugar | Ottawa, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. w Shannon Rose. 692 Somerset St W. | ||
Feb 23, 2013 | The Red Garnet | Peterborough, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. 231 Hunter St. West. | ||
Feb 22, 2013 | The Drake Underground | Toronto, ON | Canada | 8:30pm. CD RELEASE PARTY With special guest Valery Gore $10. Age restrictions: No Minors. 1150 Queen St West. More information | ||
Feb 21, 2013 | Jimmy Jazz | Guelph, ON | Canada | SHOW CANCELLED :( – TO BE RESCHEDULED Age restrictions: All Ages. 52 Macdonell Street. Cancelled | ||
Feb 20, 2013 | East Village Arts Co Op | London, ON | Canada | 8:00pm. Age restrictions: All Ages. 757 Dundas St. | ||
Oct 31, 2012 | Cameron House | Toronto, ON | Canada | 10:00pm. w Graydon James and the Young Novelists. 408 Queen St. West. | ||
Sep 15, 2012 | Le Cagibi | Montreal, QC | Canada | 9:00pm. w KASHKA. 5490 St. Laurent. | ||
Sep 14, 2012 | Black Sheep Inn | Wakefield, QC | Canada | 8:00pm. w KASHKA. 753 Riverside Dr.. | ||
Sep 13, 2012 | The Artel | Kingston, ON | Canada | 8:00pm. w KASHKA. 205 Sydenham St.. | ||
Jul 25, 2012 | Cameron House | Toronto, ON | Canada | 6:00pm. w Kirty. 408 Queen St. West. | ||
Jul 25, 2012 | Cameron House | Toronto, ON | Canada | 6:00pm. w Kirty. 408 Queen St. West. | ||
Jun 14, 2012 | C’est What | Toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. OFFICIAL NXNE SHOWCASE 67 Front St.. | ||
May 04, 2012 | El Mocambo | Toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. Hatchetmen CD release! 464 Spadina Ave.. | ||
Apr 20, 2012 | Magpie | Toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. with Montreal’s Ainsley McNeany. 831 Dundas St. West. | ||
Feb 28, 2012 | The Painted Lady | Toronto, ON | Canada | 8:30pm. 218 Ossington Ave.. | ||
Sep 18, 2011 | Black Sheep Inn | Wakefield, QC | Canada | 4:00pm. 753 Riverside Dr.. | ||
Sep 16, 2011 | Burritoville | Montreal, QC | Canada | 8:00pm. w/ Ainsley McNeany 2055 Bishop St.. | ||
Sep 15, 2011 | Tranzac | Toronto, ON | Canada | 9:00pm. Joshua Van Tassel CD Release Party (guest appearance). 292 Brunswick Ave.. | ||
Aug 31, 2011 | Cameron House | Toronto, ON | Canada | 6:00pm. w/ Joshua Cockerill. 408 Queen St. West. |
Biography
Born and raised in Canada, Rogers somewhat unexpectedly discovered success in the UK as a singer/songwriter after lending her voice to a project Mark Rae’s project Rae and Christian. At the time Rae was head of Manchester based Grand Central Records.
As a child growing up in a small rural community of Ontario, Rogers studied classical voice with the Royal Conservatory of Music, but had long since given up her musical aspirations when Rae first approached her.
“I still sang, but I had no intention of doing it professionally,” she explains, “but I knew it was an opportunity that wouldn’t come around again, so I went.”
After gaining recognition as the voice of Aim’s ‘Sail’ and ‘The Girl Who Fell Through the Ice’ Rogers signed her own deal with Grand Central, in 2000, and released two records on the label – St. Eustacia in 2004 and Seconds in 2005. Both gained wide critical acclaim abroad and at home, but unfortunately Grand Central closed its doors while Rogers and the newly formed Kate Rogers Band were recording her third full-length release, Beauregard. Undeterred, she released Beauregard and the band’s 2010 follow up EP Gadabout independently and continued to tour widely in the UK.
Now, while still honing her skills singing for an immeasurably wide range of artists – The Coast, Sunparlour Players, Great Bloomers, Jory Nash, and Party Wizard to list just a few – as well as becoming a full-time member of the Toronto band Indoor Voices, she is unleashing her latest album ‘Repeat Repeat’, an eleven song collection that showcases just how diverse her years of recording have made her. A solid amalgamation of indie-pop, rock, folk and barren singer-songwriter, this album holds something for every listener, a ride that can take you from empowered and joyous to intimately revealing and vulnerable in just one sitting. Connecting to her listeners has always been something that comes naturally to Rogers, and only seems to be getting stronger with each new work she conjures up. Repeat Repeat is clearly no exception to that rule.
CD Release party for Repeat Repeat
Friday Feb 22nd @ The Drake Underground
1150 Queen St. W Toronto
Tour updates on shows page as we book ‘em!
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact,
Darryl Weeks
darryl@stagefrightpublicity.com
+1 (705) 333-2778
Press
the press….
- 1 / 25
‘Q’ Kate Rogers St. Eustacia Grand Central Records
Raised on an isolated farm in Canada, Kate Rogers probably isn’t used to crowded places. But boasting affecting, folkish-tinged vocals, ‘St. Eustacia’ parachutes her right among the Dido’s and Beth Ortons of this world. Fortunately, thanks to her emotional range, she still manages to shine. ‘Not Ten Years Ago’ casts her as a wronged avenger, while the spacey guitars of ‘Odyssey’ reveal a more fragile side. With shifting instrumentation – from simple pianos to Arabian-infected beats – reflecting her changing moods, the likes of the rousing title track suggests she won’t simply be fading into the crowd.
- 2 / 25
UK Hip-Hop Label Brings Out its Cute Ickle Kittens
It’s baffleing that Dido should have made a planet-eating virtue out of chronic musical anaemia considering that there’s plenty of lady singer-songwriters about who do similar but with edge, charisma and soul. People like Canada’s Kate Rogers. Tempted to the UK by northern hip-hoppers Grand Central, Kate’s vocal on Aim’s legendary tearjerker ‘Sail’ made the names of both artists and, to some extent, the label itself. They rewarded her with a solo deal, and while ‘St. Eustacia’ glows with the same kooky charm, she’s a far more rustic proposition alone. Teeming with log-cabin guitars and eerie percussion, the whole thing is imbued with an innocence that means the songs of love gone right (‘Welcome’) and wrong (‘Not Ten Years Ago’_ sound more directed to best friends than to lovers. Meanwhile, Kate’s sharp Canadian vowels make the whole thing exotic enough to stay enchanting. No rock’n’roll fun here, but planty to cuddle up to. Dan Martin
- 3 / 25
The Staircase Theatre Goes Out Singing
Kate Rogers Band
Across the Pond and BackSaturday marks the end of an era in this town with the closing of The Staircase Theatre and Cafe. But the folks a thte little venue that could are going to be celebrating it in pretty much the same way they have every other night during the past few years – with top-notch live entertainment. The Staircase has always been the round hole for the square pegs of this world, providing shelter to artists who really didn’t fit well into other places. Unfortunately, it became too much of a weight for the proprietors of The Staircase to bear. So, after hosting more than 3,000 events in their funky little place on Dendurn North, Kathy Garneau and Hugh MacLeod are calling it quits to spend more time with their two young children. The final night’s entertainment was booked before they decided to close the building, so it’s a pretty good representation of the kind of talent The Staircase has been drawing over the years. Up front in The Staircase Cafe there’s Kate Rogers, a singer-songwriter who’s better known in England – where she has earned rave reviews in The Times of London and NME magazine – than in her native Ontario. Originally from a farm near Barrie, Rogers went to England a few years ago to help her cousin start up a new music label called Grand Central Records in Manchester. She had received classical voice training during her school years growing up in Kettleby and she was quickly put to work singing lead vocals for an urban dance group called Aim. The group had a minor English his with a song called ‘Sail’, selling some 150,000 copies – a feat that would register platinum in Canada. Rogers toured up adn down Britain with Aim but still considered Ontario her home, commuting back and forth, keeping an apartment in Toronto and crashing with friends in Manchester during her English stays. She went home and wrote a pile of songs with her Canadian partner Matthew Bannister, a guitarist and keyboard player she met while attending the University of British Columbia. They found some like-minded musicians and recorded in Toronto’s Chemical Sound studios, then took the tracks back to Manchester for mixing.
Graham Rockingham – The Hamilton Spectator
- 4 / 25
THE RECORD – Kate Rogers Challenges Herself on Solo Album – Feb 19th 2013
Until now, Kate Rogers has largely made her name as a collaborator.
The Toronto singer-songwriter has performed with noted indie bands The Coast and Sunparlour Players, sung on tracks by celebrated U.K. trip-hop and electronica acts Aim and Rae & Christian and is also currently a member of “shoegazer dream-pop” band Indoor Voices.
Her love of collaboration, however, takes a bit of a backseat on her new album, Repeat Repeat, her first since the 2010 EP Gadabout. Recorded in Toronto at the Lincoln County Social Club and Verge Music Lab studios with producer Chris Stringer (Ohbijou, Timber Timbre), Repeat Repeat is Rogers’ fifth solo record but the first to feature songs credited entirely to her.
As she explained on the phone recently, it was a change prompted in part by her regular songwriting partner getting married and moving to Argentina.
“At the time, I was like, ‘Well, you know, this is something that I’ve always wanted to challenge myself to do anyway,’ just to see if I can do it and to see if I can get through it without having a total meltdown and ending up running to someone saying ‘Please fix everything!’ It was actually really natural, it wasn’t nearly as taxing as I thought it would be for myself, just knowing my writing process, so it was actually surprisingly cathartic to do,” she said.
That catharsis was also partly due to a life-changing reassessment of personal relationships Rogers was going through at the time, a process that found its way into her lyrics.
“It was one of the strangest periods in my life,” she said. “I was going through a massive, massive life change because I had broken up with a partner of many, many years and, for some reason, in the following couple of years I had some people in my life … I don’t know, I think vulnerability attracts vulnerability or it attracts certain types of people and so I ended up with sort of a trail of people in my life that were — it took me a long time to realize — that were just literally sucking me dry.”
Though Rogers said extricating herself from a series of destructive friendships and business relationships was “one of the hardest things I’ve had to do,” she estimated “a good 50 to 60 per cent” of the songs on Repeat Repeat came directly from those experiences.
“For me in reality, when I feel the most about something is right in the middle of it. I think I’ve also realized that I’m very capable of letting things go and so once I do let something go, I’m very unlikely to revisit it, especially if it’s unpleasant because I just don’t think there’s much of a point. And so a lot of the stuff was actually written during (that time), because at that point I was feeling it the most and I needed to get it out of me. But I think, you know, it’s funny, now even looking back at those relationships and how unhealthy they were, I probably wouldn’t write those songs now, the immediacy of it wouldn’t be there,” she said.
Though this album finds Rogers going out on her own as a songwriter more than ever before, she’s still a collaborator at heart. As well as her ongoing tenure in Indoor Voices, Rogers also contributed to a song on the upcoming Rae & Christian album and she hopes to do some festival touring with the duo in Europe this summer. She’ll also be taking her own band (featuring drummer Josh Van Tassel, bassist Devon Henderson, bass clarinetist Julia Hambleton and keyboard player Robbie Grunwald) to the U.K. this spring for a tour to promote Repeat Repeat and, though collaborating with others makes her schedule ever busier, it also has the ironic effect of allowing Rogers the chance to unwind.
“I enjoy working with other artists so much because it allows me to not worry about the business side of things, to not worry about how I’m going to execute something or who I’m going to have to help me achieve it,” she said. “At this point, when I’m releasing stuff independently, I basically have to take care of every factor and I think when I’m collaborating with other artists, I’m just there for what I can do and that’s it, and it’s a really nice feeling. It’s total freedom for me and it’s kind of a luxury.”
Kate Rogers Band // Jimmy Jazz, Guelph // Thursday, Feb. 21, 8 p.m. // katerogers.net
- 5 / 25
Talent Watch – Kate Rogers Band
Canada is the new hot place at the moment, and I don’t mean because of the weather. It seems to be producing a plethora of quality artists. Oh Susanna, Kathleen Edwards, the Be Good Tanyas, Vanessa Carlton, the list goes on….Canadian singer/songwriter Kate Rogers used to be the vocalist with Aim and her vocals were heard on dance duo Rae & Christian’s ‘Not Just Anybody’. However, she’s now emerging as a solo artist: ‘I’ve found my roots,” she told me last week after her impressive showcase at the tiny Arts Cafe in Aldgate. Kate was doing unplugged versions of tracks from her forthcoming album St Eustacia. ‘Not Ten Years Ago’ shows the warmth in her voice and her considerable talent as a songwriter. She’s like a younger Nathalie Merchant. ‘The Apology’ is the kind of song Dido would write if she wasn’t permanently stuck in coffee table mode and ‘Nothing Appeals To Me Here’ is an extraordinarily atmospheric, gothic folk opus. Kate’s influenced by the likes of the aforementioned Be Good Tanyas, Gillian Welch and Nina Simone. She has that depth of emotion that Beth Orton possesses and songs that rival the best of Kristin Hersh. She’s only done a handful of gigs as a solo artist but already is a mesmerising performer. Full band shows are promised for next year.
- 6 / 25
Sunday Times ‘The 20 hottest acts around’
Having lent vocal lustre to albums by Aim & Rae & Christian, the Canadian singer Kate Rogers steps up to the plate this month with a small gem of a solo album, ‘St. Eustacia’ (released by Grand Central). A deft lyrical touch – “lately, I’ve been looking forward to meeting the rest of you” – is but one of her gifts; above all, though, is Rogers’ wonderful voice that moves the album from the ‘mildly diverting” pile to the one marked “slow-burning but ultimately outstanding”. Flecked with blues, roots, jazz and country, her songwriting too, shows why it is high time she moves out of the shadows. ‘St. Eustacia is one of those records that will soundtrack events that are memories in the making, could we but know it.’
- 7 / 25
St. Eustacia – Kate Rogers (Grand Central) 4/5 stars
She has lent her voice to the likes of label-mate Aim, but Canadian chanteuse Kate Rogers has finally released a record in her own right. And what a record. St. Eustacia would be little more than an average collection of polished folk-pop, were it not for a couple of extraordinary off-beat arrangements, including the cinematic “Nothing Appeals To Me Here”. Rogers sets her emotionally raw lyrics against pared-down guitars, piano and the odd electronic bear. A stunning debut. Henrietta Roussoulis
- 8 / 25
Siren Song: We Love the Lovely Kate Rogers
We love the songwriting. We love the understated dignity of the live performance. We even love the YouTube video trails. Kate Rogers, indie rock darling, launches off a bedrock of cred. Following eight years on Grand Central Records, where she was a regular vocalist for artists like AIM and Rae & Christian, Kate decided it was time to bring it back to her home in Ontario, Canada. Following the critically acclaimed St Eustacia album and a recent stint singing with Toronto indie rockers The Coast, Kate and her band kick it up more than a few notches with the release of Beauregard. While never losing sight of her Folk heritage, Beauregard picks up the pace where St. Eustacia left off. With production by Toronto’s Chris Stringer and mixed by the venerable Michael Phillip Wojewoda, this album heralds a little extra pop and punch than earlier recordings, and in turn gives Kate’s affecting, soulful vocals room to roam.
Si Si Penaloza is the Editorial Director of WOMAN.ca.
Posted in Entertainment – Music Who’s the Foxiest Of the All?
February 4, 2010 - 9 / 25
Quick Hitters – Kate Rogers Band – Beauregard
Sometimes when you are stuck in airports watching time pass too slowly, and people move too quickly, whatever music you have playing gets lost somewhere between the stagnancy and constant motion. I spent the better part of my quick vacation sitting at gates, watching time crawl by and the stack of promos I loaded onto the IPOD Zune didn’t help the lethargy. But on one of my flights yesterday, I gave Kate Roger’s new record, Beauregard, an extended, focused listen and was duly impressed. She’s been doing well in Europe, but this Toronto based singer really has the chance to make a splash here on her home turf. The arrangements bounce from folk to jazz to roots and the range of sounds is impressive, but no matter what the melody, it’s her folksy voice that booms over top and makes it hard to focus on anything else. I realize that is something that can be said about tons of artists attempting to hit the same market, but Rogers brings something unique to the equation: energy. With the help of Chris Stringer’s production, the tracks are infused with the spikes you’d expect hearing his resume (he helped the D’Ubervilles and the Coast really deliver big records as well). She doesn’t want to be the warm sweater or trusty blanket you reach for out of habit. Kate wants to challenge and surprise the listener. And that’s just it. Too often we let things blend into the beige and forget that music should energize us. I’m not trying to make Rogers into something she’s not. She’s got a beautiful voice, one that fans of folk pop or the soundtrack to Grey’s Anatomy will really enjoy (as Lying Loveless and the playful horns and choir vocals on Go proves), but the static that runs through Wowbox, the warble filled Whippets and the hints of rock and reggae on Safety Net she shows that there is more to her sound than you’d expect. She offers up a more realistic perspective – like when she hits back on a lover (“you’re so fucking miserable“) – and even when the record stumbles, you still want to hear what comes next.
- 10 / 25
Quick Before It Melts – REPEAT REPEAT Album Exclusive
When Kate Rogers sings “There’s no saying where the wind gonna take you/so I prepare myself for the worst,” on her new song “Contender”, she could very well be talking about the path her music career has taken her. From a small town Ontario where she studied classical voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music, to being lauded by the oft fickle UK music press for her work as a singer, songwriter in her own right, as well as being a featured contributor to others’ projects, the winds have taken Rogers just about everywhere an aspiring musician would want to go. And when the worst thing that could happen did (her label Grand Central Records closed up shop), Rogers found herself back home in Canada, ready for yet another adventure.
Along with forming the Kate Rogers Band, she’s worked with the likes of Sunparlour Players, The Hatchetmen, The Coast, and Indoor Voices, and is now getting set to independently release Repeat Repeat in February, an album she says is more about setting boundaries rather than crossing borders. “I’ve never been good at removing myself when I care about someone,” she says, adding, “I just hit a point where I realized I had to fundamentally change something about myself in order to be less affected by other people’s pain and problems. Every song on Repeat Repeat I’ve written while trying to break that cycle.”
On the strength of the song “Contender”, it looks like Rogers has let the winds of change take her to some place rather special this time out. If all goes according to plans, Repeat Repeat will take Kate Rogers Band across Canada this year as well.
Jim Di Gioia – Jan 14 2013
- 11 / 25
- 12 / 25
Maverick Review – BEAUREGARD . Self-Released
Vocal superiority matched quite beautifully by instrumentation in the most superlative way possible Bringing you her third album, but the first with her band, this teasing singer from Toronto along with the five other musicians include tracks that have an upbeat groove about them which leaves you wanting and begging for more. Within its eleven tracks lie a smorgasbord of radio-friendly, Americana-experimental and downright surreal tracks that make you scratch your head and nod your head in appreciation at the same time. With an opening few moments similar to a jamming session, Whippets seems as though Kate double-tracks her vocals at certain points, as Buddy Holly did, to great effect. With more than a hint of the gypsy band Oi Va Voi about this track, the use of the accordion and hand-slapping adds to this track’s atmosphere of radio friendliness and inventiveness. Stealing From You begins quite teasingly courtesy of some piano tinkling which is soon joined by jovial vocals that act as musical foreplay before this wall of harmonious and instrumental goodness hits you. Silent Movie is not a tune which allows the audience to wonder, as from its very first second it includes so much in a short duration you don’t really know what aspects to fully concentrate on and requires at least three or four hearings for its quality and overt beauty to fully penetrate the consciousness. With a hypnotic beginning, Feels Like Years is a candidate for the ideal driving song. Not for the likes of Route 66, but the frozen Canadian landscape at the height of winter. It has a feel-good element about it, but in an apprehensive way. A song that asks more questions than it answers which is always a good thing for music. Joining the ever-growing ranks of exceedingly good artists currently coming from Canada, I see no reason why this band wouldn’t be able to lead the way in showing the world the quality of Canadian music. If this prediction comes true, than that would surely be a situation to savour.
RH Laura Bethell Maverick
- 13 / 25
Kate Rogers: St Eustacia (Grand Central Records)
Pared-down rock and haunting electronica from singer touted as the femal Ben Harper.
WORD MAGAZINE
- 14 / 25
Kate Rogers – St. Eustacia – By Michael Edwards
Considering what has gone before in Kate Roger’s life, it might not be immediately obvious what musical pathway she has decided to follow. Born on a farm outside Toronto, she attended the Royal Conservatory of Music for seven years before abandoning her classical training and embracing a huge number of other influences. The list is so diverse it includes bluegrass, reggae and hip-hop, yet she also spent time following around the likes of the Grateful Dead and Phish on tour. Her recording career began with providing vocals for Grand Central artists Rae & Christian and Aim, yet her debut album might come as a bit of a surprise. It is hard to write about St. Eustacia without mentioning Beth Orton or Dido because those are the easiest comparisons, yet Rogers very much has her own identity thanks to strength in both her voice and her songwriting. Considering this is a Grand Central release, St. Eustacia is remarkably laid-back and beat-free. From the majesty of the wonderful “Mighty” to the acoustic sparseness and beauty of “Joan,” Rogers has a real knack for writing songs that pull in the listener and that is true for the entire album. This is a very impressive debut that demonstrates that Rogers is no longer just a guest vocalist. (Grand Central)
- 15 / 25
Kate Rogers – St. Eustacia (Grand Central)
Aim chanteuse braves the singer-songwriter path alone 4/5 starsGrand Central has always had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to female vocalists, with both Veba and Kate Rogers soaring over their beats, and finally one has released an album in her own right. Kate is best know for tracks like Aim’s ‘the Girl That Fell Through Th Ice’ and Rae & Christian’s ‘Not Just Anybody’, but left to her own devices, she ploughs an angsty melancolic folk furrow. Initially perfectly pleasant, over time St. Eustacia reveals its more endearing nuances, through more off-kilter moments like ‘Nothing Appeals To Me Here’. Could it be that while all the majors were out searching for the new Dido Grand Central tripped over her on their own doorstep?
(LB)
- 16 / 25
Kate Rogers – St. Eustacia (Grand Central) 4/5 stars
Combing folk roots with a CV in electronica (as the singer with Rae & Christian), Rogers is the Canadian answer to Dido. The opening track ‘Welcome’ could be straight off ‘No Angel’. But as her debut album unfolds, Rogers finds her own gracefully poised voice. The piano and guitar arrangements are simple yet often stunningly beautiful, especially on ‘Mighty’ and the title track.
- 17 / 25
Kate Rogers – St. Eustacia (Grand Central)
For a Canadian, Kate Rogers has the contemporary Bristish female vocalist act down pat. Sounding remarkable like a jazzier Dido, Rogers pours out her heart on swingy tracks like “Not Ten Years Ago” and “Sidelines,” though the dark “Nothing Appeals To Me Here, ” with its Eastern feel, is slightly out of place among her lighter tunes. Rogers shows her weak side on “Mighty,” pleading for the return of a lost lover while a delicate piano line adds to the background folk melodies. Like a candy apple with hidden razor blades, this chanteuse sounds remarkably innocent until you notice the sharp edges. – CH
- 18 / 25
Kate Rogers – Beauregard Review – Snob’s Music
As a rule I don’t really review older albums. But with a new EP coming in June I thought I’d make an exception for Kate Rogers’ 2008 album Beauregard. The Canadian-born Rogers had spent 8 years plying her trade in the UK before making the decision to return to her home and native land for this album. This record is not the stereotypical piano-playing woman record. Rogers has a far more diverse sound than someone like say, Tori Amos or Sarah McLachlan. Yes, there are some gorgeous vocal-focussed tracks like “Up Country”, but those are the exception rather than the rule. Instead you’re more likely to her bellowing rockers, country-tinged stomps, and smoky lounge numbers. Rogers is at her absolute best when she’s playing melodramatic noir music. Tracks like “54 Rounds” and “Not Okay” are simply engrossing. Having now heard her latest full length several times, I can’t help but be excited for the EP.
Best tracks: “Safety Net”
May 3, 2010 - 19 / 25
Kate Rogers St. Eustacia (Grand Central)
Rogers’ pure, clear vocals have graced tracks by Aim and Rae & Christian, but her true calling is a fine singer-songwriter in the classic style. On numerous tracks here, her sophisticated folk-influenced pop explores emotional landscapes with controlled power, and little concession to fashion.
- 20 / 25
Kate Rogers Preps ‘Repeat Repeat’
Canadian songwriter Kate Rogers has experienced some success in the UK, and she’s looking to have an impact here at home with the upcoming Canuck release of her new album. Repeat Repeat, which is credited to her Kate Rogers Band, is due out February 19.
The album was recorded at Toronto’s Lincoln County Social Club with producer Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Snowblink, Ohbijou). Unlike some of Rogers’ past work, these tunes were penned alone. “For years, co-writing was usually my go-to process because I always believed that more heads were better than one,” she said in a statement, “but I wanted to push myself this time out and so I made a promise to myself I’d fight through it on my own.”
Hear the bouncy pop number “Contender” over at Quick Before It Melts. A video for the previously released album cut “Anger Management” is at the bottom of the page.
Rogers plans to announce a Canadian tour soon. In the meantime, she will celebrate the release of the album with a show at Toronto’s Drake Underground on February 22.
Repeat Repeat will be released in the UK and Europe this spring.
By Alex Hudson – January 20th 2013
- 21 / 25
Kate Rogers – St Eustacia – Music Week
Kate Rogers St. Eustacia (Grand Central)Rogers’ pure, clear vocals have graced tracks by Aim and Rae & Christian, but her true calling is a fine singer-songwriter in the classic style. On numerous tracks here, her sophisticated folk-influenced pop explores emotional landscapes with controlled power, and little concession to fashion. MUSIC WEEK - 22 / 25
GLOBE AND MAIL REVIEW – REPEAT REPEAT – 3/4 STARS – Brad Wheeler
The Ontario singer-songwriter Kate Rogers isn’t exactly new – she’s had success oversees and has worked plenty in collaboration with others – but her album Repeat Repeat has fresh start written all over it. Indeed, the title itself might be a mantra attached to a new way of thinking. In a clear, strong voice Rogers deals with detrimental, perhaps draining, relationships. “I’m searching for a healthy diversion to set my mind at ease,” she sings on the bright pop stomp of Contender. -B.W.
- 23 / 25
Explore Music with Alan Cross – You Gotta Hear This – ’54 Rounds’
Kate Rogers Band – ’54 Rounds’Canadian women seeking fame and fortune through the English route. Charming on the outside but listen closely.
[Similar artists: PJ Harvey, Beth Orton, Tori Amos]
- 24 / 25
Country Girl Kate Has Her Feet On The Ground
Growing up on a country farm near Toronto, Kate Rogers often found herself twiddling her thumbs. She turned to music and art as a way to entertain herself (“I had on brother, but back then he was just into fighting,” laughs Kate, “so I used to retreat to my room to sing and draw.”) and eventually took lessons in classical singing in her early teens. “I started singing from the moment I could open my mouth, I always mimicked people,” she recalls. Who, CityLife enquires. “Oh, God,” she laughs, “I can’t admit that! Well, when I was six or seven, we had these big speakers and I used to put Abba on and lie on top of the speakers and just soak it in. I probably did terrible damage to myself.” Raised on John Denver and north American folk music, Kate discovered rock in her early teens and took up guitar. She dabbled with teh fashion industry as a career but was talked back into music by her cousin, Mark Rae, who set up Manchester record label Grand Central. “I used to follow bands around and I made clothes and jewelery on the road just to make money. “There was a lot of time in music where I felt I was jumping into a big hole and I didn’t know where it was gonna go. But now, after working and touring in different countries, it feels good to have that goal and I’m not under any illusions about what’s possible for me – there’s no dream of superstardom.” Kate’s back in Manchester with her band to play Dpercussion, a festival she’s regularly attended as a spectator. “There’s a lot of nurturing between Canada and the UK in terms of what’s going on in music. Every time I’ve played here, they’ve been so welcoming. Britain is looked at musically as a very special place.”
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Beauregard by Jordan Bimm
After releasing an album of alt-rock covers in 2005, Toronto’s Kate Rogers returns with a clutch of originals penned with co-writer Matthew Bannister. On the disc, produced by Chris Stringer (the D’Urbervilles, the Coast), Rogers’ rich voice exudes a folksy confidence that’s mostly put to good use, with the exception of a jarring heavily filtered trip-hop bridge stuck in the middle of Whippets. But generally it works, and Togers really hits her creative stride on Stealing From You, on which she sounds like a rockier Sarah Slean.
Contact
PUBLICITY
North America
Stagefright Publicity
Darryl Weeks
darryl@stagefrightpublicity.com
+1 (705) 333-2778
UK/Europe
Ask Me PR
Liam Walsh
liam@askmepr.com
joe@askmepr.com
DISTRIBUTION
Conveyor Canada
Peter Piasecki
peter.piasecki@conveyorcanada.com
2450 Victoria Park Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada, M2J 5H3
For booking and all other inquiries please contact: